Teaching Lab Delaware Department of Education, DE Report

2020-2021 Report

Background

In SY20-21, Teaching Lab administered online diagnostic and follow-up surveys of educators participating in Teaching Lab’s professional learning in order to measure growth and improvement in three different areas: 1) Educator Mindsets and Beliefs, 2) School Environment, and 3) Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge. There were 16 educators who completed the diagnostic survey, 0 educators who completed the follow-up survey, and 1 educators who completed both.

Summary of Results

Methodology and Presentation of Results

We have provided two types of results for each section: The results in the first three columns of the table refer to the overall group averages. We provide the group average for the diagnostic and follow-up surveys as well as the percentage point change (increase or decrease) over this time. It is important to note that the group that completed the diagnostic survey and the group that completed the follow-up survey are different in size. The results in the fourth column reflect the percentage of educators who improved their responses or sustained the highest level response from the diagnostic to follow-up survey. This group of educators is the same for both surveys and is smaller in size.

Section 1: Mindsets and Beliefs

Educators were asked a series of questions about their mindsets toward instruction and students on a 5-point Likert scale from 1- Strongly disagree to 5- Strongly agree. The questions focused on four core constructs surrounding mindsets and beliefs, specifically the recognition of race and culture, growth mindsets, high expectations, and taking accountability for equitable instruction.


1
Methodological note: Mindsets and Beliefs questions were scored in the following way: for positively coded items, “1” and “2” were worth 0 points, “3” was worth 1 point, and “4” and “5” were worth 2 points. This was reversed for negatively coded items where “4” and “5” were 0 points, “3” was 1 point, and “1” and “2” were 2 points. Educators were considered to have improved if their score on the follow-up survey was higher than that of the diagnostic survey. (e.g., they responded “4” on the diagnostic and “5” in the follow-up for positively coded items, they responded “4” on the diagnostic and “3” in the follow-up for negatively coded items). Educators who responded with the highest-level responses (“4” and “5” or “1” and “2”, depending on the item) on both the diagnostic and follow-up surveys were considered to have sustained equitable mindsets, growth mindsets, high expectations, and/or accountability for equitable instruction.

     

Educators’ Averages Scores on Equitable Mindsets and Beliefs, by Survey Administration
Average Scores on Equitable Mindsets & Beliefs
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained High Scores
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 89% NA NA NA
Recognition of race & culture 70% NA NA NA
Holding growth mindsets 88% NA NA NA
Having high expectations and beliefs 99% NA NA NA
Taking accountability for equitable instruction 96% NA NA NA
n = 16 n = 0 n = 0

The plot illustrates educators’ average scores from the diagnostic and follow-up surveys, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the average scores.

Section 2: School Environment

Educators were asked about their school environment, including culture and climate on a 5-point Likert scale from 1- Strongly disagree to 5- Strongly agree. Specifically, educators were asked about trust and connectedness to other educators, their role in shaping their own professional learning, and confidence in implementing the curriculum in a way that maximizes positive impact for student learning.


2
Methodological note: Educators were considered to have positive perceptions if they responded “4” or “5” on the scale. They were considered to have improved on an item if their response on the follow-up survey was at least one response higher than the diagnostic response (e.g., they responded “3” on the diagnostic and “4” on the follow-up). Educators who responded with the highest-level responses (“4” or “5”) on both the diagnostic and follow-up surveys were considered to have sustained positive perceptions.

     

Educators’ Perceptions of School Culture and Climate, by Survey Administration, by Survey Administration
% of Educators with Positive Perceptions of School Culture and Climate
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained Positive Perceptions
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 75% NA NA NA
Trust in fellow teachers 100% NA NA NA
Connectedness to fellow teachers 100% NA NA NA
Have influence over professional learning 0% NA NA NA
I am confident that I am implementing the curriculum in a way that maximizes positive impact for student learning 100% NA NA NA
n = 1 n = 0 n = 0

The plot illustrates the shifts in educators’ reported culture and climate, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the percentage of educators with positive perceptions in the diagnostic survey, and blue represents the percentage in the follow-up survey. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the percent of educators who agreed or strongly agreed with the items.

Section 3: Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Educators were asked a series of questions about their knowledge of instructional shifts and evidence-based instructional practices in their content area.

Section 3a: ELA Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

In ELA, the questions focused on seven core constructs, as shown in the table.

Educators’ Average Scores on ELA Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge, by Survey Administration
Average Scores of Educators with ELA Content & Pedagogical Content Knowledge
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained High Scores
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score 80% 70% -9 NA
ELA instructional shifts 80% 100% 20 NA
Fluency 56% 40% -16 NA
Text complexity 90% 100% 10 NA
Close reading 85% 40% -45 NA
Building knowledge 91% 100% 10 NA
Supporting students with unfinished learning 81% 60% -21 NA
n = 16 n = 1 n = 1

The plot illustrates the shift in educators’ average scores for ELA content and pedagogical content knowledge, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease of average scores.

Section 3b: Math Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge

In Mathematics, the questions focused on four core constructs, as shown in the table.

Educators’ Average Scores on Math Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge, by Survey Administration
Average Scores of Educators with Math Content & Pedagogical Content Knowledge
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
Overall score NA 83% NA NA
Math instructional shifts NA 73% NA NA
Equitable Math Instruction NA 93% NA NA
Supporting students with unfinished learning NA 91% NA NA
Effective Teaching Practices NA 82% NA NA
n = 0 n = 11 n = 0

The plot illustrates the shift in educators’ average scores for Math content and pedagogical content knowledge, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the diagnostic scores, and blue represents the follow-up scores. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease of average scores.

Section 4: Teacher Observations by Administrators

Coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were asked about the areas they focus on when observing teachers in general and also whether they observe differences in teaching practices between teachers who have participated in Teaching Lab professional learning and teachers who have not.

First, coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were asked whether they focus on the following areas when observing teachers: The lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task. The questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards. All students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson.

Observation Practices of Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators, by Survey Administration, by Survey Administration
% of Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators who Agreed or Strongly Agreed
% of Educators that Improved or Sustained
Diagnostic Survey
Follow-up Survey
Percentage Point Change
When observing teachers, I focus on… 98% 83% -14 NA
Whether the lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task 93% 83% -10 NA
Whether the questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards 100% 75% -25 NA
Whether all students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson 100% 92% -8 NA
n = 15 n = 12 n = 1

The plot illustrates the shifts in coaches, leaders, and/or administrators’ reported observation practices, which corresponds to the information in the first three columns of the table. Orange represents the percentage who always or almost always focus on these aspects in the diagnostic survey, and blue represents the percentage in the follow-up survey. The arrows represent the directionality, showing an increase or decrease in the percent of educators who always or almost always focus on these aspects.

Coaches, leaders, and/or administrators were also asked to compare teaching practices between Teaching Lab participants and non-Teaching Lab participants in the follow-up survey. They were asked about the same three areas above.

Differences in Teaching Practices between Teaching Lab Participants and Non-participants, as Reported by Coaches, Leaders, and Administrators
TL Teachers1 Non-TL Teachers1
The lesson is focused on a high-quality text or task 75% 42%
The questions and tasks address the analytical thinking required by the grade-level standards 67% 25%
All students have opportunities to engage in the work of the lesson 75% 42%

1 n = 12

The graph illustrates the differences in teaching practices between teachers who have participated in Teaching Lab professional learning and teachers who have not, as reported by the coaches, leaders, and/or administrators.

Section 5: Lab Leaders

Lab Leaders were asked about their engagement in different activities, such as leading professional learning, leading PLC meetings, coaching teachers, sharing information and resources, and improving their own instructional practices.

% of Lab Leaders who engaged in the activity1
Improved my own instructional practice 33%
Led PLC meetings for teachers 17%
Coached teachers 50%
Shared information or resources with teachers 50%

1 n = 3

The graph below illustrates the Lab Leaders participation in different activities.

Section 6: Student Work

No student work was analyzed at this location.

Section 7: Participant Feedback

Looking at participant feedback from Delaware Department of Education, DE we see good scores across the board:

Teaching Lab Performance on Participant Feedback Questions for Delaware Department of Education, DE
How Likely Are You To Apply This Learning To Your Practice In The Next 4-6 Weeks? I felt a sense of community with the other participants in this course even though we were meeting virtually. This course helped me navigate remote and/or hybrid learning during COVID-19. % Who Say Activities Of Today's Session Were Well-Designed To Help Me Learn S/He Effectively Built A Community Of Learners
91% 96% 65% NaN 96%

Finally, looking at the textual feedback from participants we also see a lot of positive feedback, even when people are giving tips for improvement

Comments on what Went Well
Quotes from "Overall, what went well in this professional learning?"

"The breakout rooms, after having independent time to work ,
were helpful. Discussing everyone's experiences is great!"

"The breakout rooms for collaboration. Having the time to
share our action planning ideas and evidence collection."

"I really appreciated having both the transcript and the
video clip during the independent work time."

"The breakout groups went well where we were able to discuss
positive effects in the beginning and then sharing our
problems of practice in the afternoon and getting feedback
from other coaches."

"Introduction of IPG and providing appropriate time to learn
and calibrate the tool"

"Really appreciated the work that we did asynchronously today
as well as the discussion immediately after to calibrate our
scoring."

"I appreciate the asynchronous learning opportunities that
allowed us to be off zoom for periods of time."

"The content was presented clearly and I had many take-aways
that I can immediately implement into my role as coach."

"I always have enjoyed going into our breakout rooms to
collaborate with colleagues."

"The activities and breakout groups were very beneficial. I
love working and learning from my colleagues from around the
state."

Comments on Improving Experience
Quotes from "What could have improved your experience?"

"Possibly more time to explore protocols and the "Round"
breakout protocol could have been a bit more specific.
"Person a offers something to discuss" seemed a bit broad."

"So many links and links within links, it is a lot to keep
track of and navigate between. Especially because when you
make a copy of one and then to write on something you might
need to make a copy of links within a document."

"Maybe some more use of tech tools like the whiteboard that
we experienced a few sessions ago"

"I really stayed focused and only answered email and text
when we first went into Asynchronous learning -- and I
still did not get time to eat lunch (I even set a timer for
each section and moved on -- so I either took too much time
answering emails/text AND/OR did too much between sections)"

"I struggle with having enough time to complete the
asynchronous work in a way that allows me time to deeply
think about the materials and/or readings. This has been
since day 1 and I thought I would just get quicker, but I
did not. Typically, I finish the work with 7 minutes for
lunch. I thought you might like some feedback for cohort 2"

"I wish I had the standards that went along with the second
video in Achieve the Core"

"In person learning instead of Zoom - but this was very well
done and I am not complaining!"

"A little more time for the asynchronous work. I felt very
rushed to complete the activity and probably would have done
a better job if I had more time."

"It would have been helpful to see some examples of
"dilemmas". I might have been over thinking it, but it was
difficult for me to come up with one that was not about
other people changing their practice because as coaches we
want our teachers to change in practice to improve student
learning. Again, I might have been overthinking it."

"My bad, but I watched the entire second video which gave me
a different IPG rating than others. Is there a way to only
give a video the length you want us to see and associated
materials? I felt very time pressured today during
asynchronous work."

Additional Comments
Quotes from "Do you have additional comments?"

"Thank you for creating a collaborative culture where
everyone's voice is heard and we can all feel comfortable
sharing our experiences and ask questions."

"Would like additional resources on the progression examples
in the CVA Progressions Worksheet. Are there any resources
out there? Has anyone done this with different common core
topics/stands?"

"Thank you for being so well planned and for considering our
feedback when developing the structure of the day. It's hard
to keep people motivated for an entire day of PL, but you do
a nice job of balancing everything to keep us engaged."

"I appreciate this time, as it loads my coaching tool box.
At this time it's just really hard to engage teachers, but
what Nicole, Renee, and Lindsey said; something like, what's
the small thing we can do to relieve the stress steered also
towards pushing teachers to best practice? This is a good
mindset and I thank you for your support!"

"I appreciate everything that you a doing to help us do our
job effectively with teachers."


  1. Methodological Note 1↩︎

  2. Methodological Note 2↩︎

 

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